The short answer: it depends on the event
A box lunch for 12 colleagues and a staffed buffet for 80 clients are both catering, but they are not the same product, so there is no single price. The number depends on how many people eat, what format the food takes and how much service comes with it.
As a starting point, typical budgets per person fall into four ranges. They are ranges to plan with, not quotes. The exact price is set by your guests, date, menu, venue and service level, and we send it by email once those are known.
What the four budget ranges usually include
- NT$300 to 500: Meal boxes. Individual boxes, drop-off, disposable serveware
- NT$500 to 800: Drop-off buffet. 4 to 5 shared dishes, ready to serve
- NT$800 to 1,300: Buffet with setup. 6 to 8 dishes plus dessert, warmers and serveware set up
- NT$1,300+: Staffed service. Premium dishes, staff serve and clear
Cost driver 1: guest count
More guests usually lowers the cost per person, because fixed costs such as delivery, setup and a minimum staff shift are shared by more people. It also raises the total, and past a certain size the kitchen needs more time and equipment. Give a realistic number of people who will actually arrive, and the date you will confirm the final count.
Cost driver 2: food style
Meal boxes are the simplest format: each portion is packed, nothing needs serving and the price is easy to predict. A drop-off buffet adds shared dishes in trays, so your team serves. A hot buffet with setup adds the equipment to keep food warm and a table to serve it from. Plated service adds the most staff and time. The more of the serving we do, the more the format costs.
Cost driver 3: hot food and warmers
Hot dishes need to arrive hot and stay hot for the length of the event. Warmers need power at the venue and someone to look after them. If the room has no power or no kitchen, choose dishes that are good at room temperature, such as rice dishes, cold noodles and grilled meats, and the quote can be simpler.
Cost driver 4: staff
Waiters, servers or a buffet attendant are priced by how many people and how many hours. A single attendant who replenishes the buffet for two hours is a small line; a team that serves, clears and resets for an evening is a larger one. Tell us whether your own team can serve, or whether you want to be a guest at your own event.
Cost driver 5: setup and decoration
Arranging the buffet table, labels and serving equipment takes time on site. Table decoration is optional and priced as its own line, so you can leave it out for an internal meeting and add it for a client event.
Cost driver 6: cleanup
With drop-off, you clear. With setup, we collect the serveware afterwards. With staffed service, the team clears during and after the event. Disposable serveware needs no collection but creates more waste; reusable serveware is collected after the event. The quote states who clears what.
Cost driver 7: rentals
If the venue does not have tables, linens, chafing dishes or serveware, those need to be provided. Tell us what the venue has so we do not quote for items you already have, and ask what is included in the quote and what you must arrange yourself.
Cost driver 8: delivery distance and time
Delivery is part of the quote. Distance within Taipei, traffic at the time of day, floors with no lift and a tight food-ready time can all change it. A flexible delivery window usually costs less than an exact minute, so give the earliest and latest times food can arrive.
Cost driver 9: rush or express orders
When the event date is close, kitchen time and delivery slots are limited. Express orders may need a surcharge. If your event is soon, say so in the request and ask about express.
Cost driver 10: drinks
Drinks are often handled separately. Some venues supply them, some do not allow outside drinks. Tell us whether you want drinks in the quote so it matches the others you are comparing.
Cost driver 11: dietary needs
Vegetarian, vegan, allergy-aware or religious requests may need separate dishes or packaging. Tell us the counts and the type of diet early. The team checks each need with the supplying kitchen and does not promise what the kitchen cannot confirm.
What to tell us for an accurate quote
- Number of guests, and the date you will confirm the final count.
- Event date, food-ready time and how long the event runs.
- Venue address, floor, lift access and whether there is power or a kitchen.
- Food style: meal boxes, drop-off buffet, buffet with setup or staffed service.
- Budget per person or total, so we can say what fits.
- Disposable or reusable serveware, and whether you want decoration.
- Drinks: included in the quote, supplied by the venue or brought by you.
- Dietary needs with counts, such as vegetarian or allergies.
- Whether the order is short notice, so we can discuss express.
Compare quotes like for like
Two quotes with the same per-person number can include very different service. Check that each one lists dishes and portions, delivery, setup, staff hours, serveware, cleanup and payment terms. Our occasion pages show the format that usually suits each event, and the portion calculator helps you size the order before you ask.